OAK HILLS, Calif. (KABC) -- A search is under way for a 20th Century Fox studio executive who went missing several days ago, and sheriff's deputies are asking for the public's help to find him.

Gavin Smith, 57, was last seen between 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. Tuesday leaving his home in the 500 block of Callwood Court in Oak Park, along the southeastern border of Ventura and Los Angeles counties near Agoura Hills.

Smith left his home in a black 2000 Mercedes-Benz 420E with storage racks on the roof, tinted windows and California license plate number 6EKT044. He has not been heard from since, and family members are concerned.

He is described as 6 feet 6 inches tall, weighing 210 pounds with green eyes, gray hair with blond streaks and a goatee. He has a 5-inch scar on his calf and a 4-inch scar on his inner right wrist. Authorities said he was last seen wearing purple pants and black and gray shoes. ::snipping2::

AGOURA HILLS - A 20th Century Fox distribution executive and former UCLA basketball player remained missing today, five days after being reported missing near a family home in Ventura County's Oak Park neighborhood.

Gavin Smith, 57, who works out of a Calabasas office, was reported missing Tuesday night after last being seen driving away from a family home in the 500 block of Callwood Court in a black 2000 Mercedes-Benz 420E with tinted windows and a roof rack, according to sheriff's deputies, who apparently were contacted by someone at Fox.

The license on the car is 6EKT044.

Smith, who is white, about 6 feet 6 inches and 210 pounds, has green eyes and gray hair with blond highlights; he has a roughly 4-inch scar on his right, inner wrist and a 5-inch scar on one of his calves, according to sheriff's deputies.

He was a member of UCLA's 1975 national championship men's basketball team, the last title won by legendary Bruin head coach John Wooden.

Smith's sister, Tara Addeo, came to Los Angeles from from Nevada to aid in the search.

"This is so surreal," Addeo told KCAL9 Saturday. "There are no words to describe how you feel when you're in this situation. My flight here was very sad. I wish I wasn't here under these circumstances. But we are here and we're trying our best to deal with this as a family."

Smith's son, Evan Smith, was a forward on USC basketball team this past season. ::snipping2::

The family of a missing 20th Century Fox movie executive continued to spread word of his disappearance Sunday, five days after the 57-year-old was last seen near his Oak Park home.

Gavin Smith, a former UCLA basketball player who has worked in the studio’s movie distribution department for almost 18 years, was last seen in the 500 block of Callwood Court between 9 and 10 p.m. Tuesday, authorities said.

Smith’s son, Evan, who plays basketball at USC, spent much of Sunday tweeting news about his father’s disappearance.

“All of the love and support you all have given my family has been the greatest,” Evan Smith wrote. “Still looking for him. I'll never stop.”

A sheriff's spokesman said the investigation was ongoing Sunday.

Fox distribution President Chris Aronson told the Hollywood Reporter his department was “actively doing what we can” to assist authorities.

CBS) LOS ANGELES - Gavin Smith, a 20th Century Fox movie executive, has been missing since Tuesday, May 1, 2012. Although police say they do not suspect foul play, CBS Los Angeles reports that they are baffled by his disappearance

Smith, 57, who has been an executive in Fox's movie distribution division for more than 18 years, was last seen driving his black Mercedes 420E sedan Tuesday evening near his Oak Park home in the 500 block of Callwood Court.

He was supposed to pick up one of his sons on Wednesday morning but he never showed up. His sister, Tara Addeo, says this was very uncharacteristic: "He would not do this. We don't want to think the worst. We can't imagine he would just leave."

Addeo, who flew in from Nevada this weekend, told the station that she spent six hours puttng up flyers all over Los Angeles Sunday. "We just want my brother back," she said. "We just want to see him again." ::snipping2::

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The son of a Hollywood studio executive who has been missing for a week said Monday that his father had not used his cellphone or credit cards, leaving no clues to his disappearance.

Gavin Smith, a 57-year-old film distribution executive for 20th Century Fox, was last seen on Tuesday night driving away from a friend's house in the community of Oak Park, north of Los Angeles, in his black Mercedes.

Police have issued a missing person bulletin for Smith - also known for playing on UCLA's 1975 national championship basketball team under legendary coach John Wooden - and asked for the public's help in finding him. ::snipping2::Smith said that family members first became concerned when his dad failed to turn up at the film studio, a job he loves.

"My dad's a good guy, a very responsible man, and it all really took hold for us when he didn't show up for work," he said. He added that his father, who stands 6 foot, 6 inches tall, with an athletic build and "looks like a movie star" should be easy to spot.

He said family members have since been unable to "ping" the missing man's cellphone, which appears to be off, and that his credit cards have not been used since Tuesday night.

"We are extremely worried about our friend and colleague Gavin Smith and are actively doing what we can to assist the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department in their search for him," Chris Aronson, vice president of domestic distribution for Fox, said in a statement. ::snipping2::

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" Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts." - Daniel Moynihan

The mystery of what happened to Hollywood executive Gavin Smith began last week, when Smith was staying at a friend's house and drove off, without a word, in his black Mercedes around 10 p.m. and never came back.

Smith, 57, was reported missing by his wife on Wednesday morning when he failed to pick up his son to take him to school and then did not call into work or his family. Smith's wife, children, and sister told ABC News that the former UCLA basketball star and 20th Century Fox movie executive would never abandon his family.

"He would never do anything like that. He's a great father. My dad had no reason to leave. No reason at all," said Evan Smith, Gavin's eldest son and a star basketball player at USC.

The family would not say why Smith, an 18-year veteran in the movie industry who has helped distribute movies such as "Avatar" and the "Star Wars" trilogy, was staying with a family friend in Oak Park, Calif., Tuesday night. He had returned earlier that that day from a movie convention in Las Vegas and was supposed to stay the night there, but the family said it was unusual that he left that home at 10 p.m. without warning.

"They had already gone to bed," Lisa Smith said. "So, he was still downstairs watching TV when our friend went to bed. And he was going to be coming up to bed shortly."

The Smiths told ABC News that Gavin Smith's cell phone charger, shaving kit, and other belongings were all at the friend's house where he was staying. He was last seen wearing purple workout pants that had belonged to his teenage son, which the family says is a sure sign he had no intention of going out anywhere in public.

"That's what he was wearing, you know? It doesn't sound like he was going anywhere, you know?" Evan Smith said.

Lisa Smith said she last spoke to her husband Tuesday during the day to arrange plans for Wednesday morning for him to come pick up his son and take him to school. Lisa Smith was busy taking care of her mother, who is battling cancer, she said.

"As soon as I heard that he had not picked up Austin from school, that's when I said, 'There has to be something wrong.' What that is, I don't know. I don't know," said Tara Addeo, Smith's sister. ::snipping2::

Search for missing Hollywood movie executive now classified as homicide investigation after a week of no clues

The Los Angeles sheriff's department has changed the status of the case of the missing 57-year-old father and film executive to a criminal homicide investigation. Gavin Smith has been missing for one week and in spite of the shift in classification, there have been no clues released to the public to explain the change. Smith, a married father of three, was reported missing on May 1 when he failed to show up for his job at Twentieth Century Fox. Deadline reports that the search has intensified in recent days, but the spokesman for the sheriff's office said Tuesday that there has been no evidence found suggesting foul play. Mr Smith's family says that, after returning to Los Angeles after a business trip, he had planned to spend the night at a friend's house. 'He was still watching TV downstairs when our friend went to bed, and he was going to be going up to bed shortly,' his wife Lisa told ABC News. ::snipping2::

The 57-year-old, who works in distributon for Fox, was reported missing by his family May 1 after he failed to pick up one of his sons for school.

His family declined to say why Smith was staying at a friend's house, but on Thursday, E! News reported that Smith’s eldest son, Evan, said last month his father had left the family.

"Thoughts and prayers out to my amazing Mom and bros plz," the USC basketball player wrote in an April 14 message, according to E! "My dad decided to leave the family last nite. Real family sticks together."

The tweet has since been deleted, but Evan Smith told E! his parents were not separated.

“They were just going through normal stuff couples go through,” he said.

Evan Smith told The Times on Thursday morning that his family was “devastated” by his father’s disappearance.

“We’re staying strong as a family unit,” he said. “We’re praying and hoping for the best. It’s all in God’s hands.” Authorities said that for now the disappearance remains classified as a missing persons case.

“It’s an adult missing persons case, not a homicide,” said sheriff’s Homicide Bureau Lt. Wes Sutton, noting that missing persons investigators are assigned within his bureau. “At this point, there’s nothing criminal [related] to his disappearance.”

Sutton said the department has added extra resources to the investigation, but there is still “nothing substantial” in the way of significant clues to solve the mystery of what happened to the movie executive. ::snipping2::

- The family of Gavin Smith, the 20th Century Fox executive who went missing on May 1, is enlisting the public's help in a search for the 57-year-old Smith this weekend.

The search, which will take place Saturday, is being undertaken at the suggestion of the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department, family spokesman Howard Bragman told TheWrap. Members of Smith's family will be coming in from out of town to help the effort as well, Bragman said.

Details are still being solidified but will be announced on FindGavinSmith.com, which was set up by his family.

Smith, an 18-year veteran at Fox, was last seen on the night of May 1 in Oak Park, Calif., according to a bulletin released by law enforcement officials.

According to law enforcement, Smith's black 2000 Mercedes 420E bears the license plate number 6EKT044. According to the bulletin, Smith stands 6 feet 6 inches tall, weighs 210 pounds, and has grey hair with blond highlights, green eyes and a goatee. ::snipping2::

Family spokesman Howard Bragman said the decision came after consultations with the LA County Sheriff's Department.

A search for missing 20th Century Fox executive Gavin Smith scheduled for this weekend has been canceled. The family’s public relations counselor, Howard Bragman, said the decision came after consultations with the LA County Sheriff's Department and the Smith family.

“There is not a specific area of defined interest to make this effort productive at this time,” Bragman said in a statement released Wednesday evening. ::snipping2::

Breakthrough in hunt for married Hollywood executive missing for a month as he’s spotted having dinner with woman in California

A missing studio executive for Fox has been spotted in California with a woman, it has been claimed.Gavin Smith, 57, failed to pick his son up for school or turn up to work on May 1 and has not been heard from since.

His distraught family launched a media campaign hoping that a member of the public would come forward with news of his whereabouts.But it has now emerged that Mr Smith was seen having dinner with a woman on May 7 at Taco Temple in Morro Bay, according to a diner sitting nearby.David Brill said that he saw the executive with a tall woman at the Mexican restaurant but didn't realise who it was until the next day.

He said: 'I noticed on the Yahoo main page that there was a news link to a missing Hollywood executive,' Brill told news station NBC LA.'I happened to click on the link, saw the photo, and said, "Oh boy, that's the guy I saw in the restaurant the previous night".'A waitress at the restaurant confirmed Brill's account saying she served the quiet couple who said they were from 'down south' ::snipping2::

The 20th Century Fox executive who was last seen May 1 in Oak Park, Calif., has reportedly been spotted at a restaurant on the central coast.

Locals and a frequent visitor in Morro Bay told NBC LA in exclusive interviews that they remember seeing Smith and a tall female companion at Taco Temple, a popular restaurant on Highway 1.

"They were kind of quiet when they first came in and then once I got them talking, they seemed real friendly," said waitress Marcy Carney, who remembers the pair because of the big tip she received at the end of the meal.

"I'm pretty sure they said they were headed north," Carney recalled.

David Brill, a businessman from Madison, Wis., told NBC LA he noticed Smith because of his height and unusually white teeth. The next morning at the office, said Brill, he read a news story about a missing Hollywood executive and recognized Smith in the accompanying photo.

Brill said he contacted the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department after making the connection, but claims they have not called him back yet.

The Huffington Post reached out to the LASD for comment and will update this story when we get a response. ::snipping2::

The Personal Trials of Missing Fox Movie Executive Gavin SmithHis marriage was in turmoil. His son had stopped speaking to him. His house was underwater. And then he disappeared.

Nine days before 20th Century Fox film executive Gavin Smith disappeared, he met his close friends for coffee, a twice-a-week date he’d kept for the last five years. Over their caffeine fixes, the group of middle-aged professionals—sometimes as many as 20—bonded over parenting and their love of sports and the outdoors.

Smith, 57, was someone they all looked up to—and not just because of his statuesque 6-foot-6, muscular frame or his ranking as a former college basketball star. The father of three had a close and enviable relationship with his sons, and his friends longed to be like him.

“The bond we had was fatherhood. And you know what else? Self-improvement: ‘How could I have done a better job in that situation?’” says Dr. Gordon Van Tassell, who went to Van Nuys High School with Smith. “We were all committed in that way to finding out how to be better men and fathers. For many years, that’s been the focus of our discussions.”

On April 22, the last time his buddies saw him, Smith was looking forward to a work trip to Las Vegas the next day. But weighing on him was an argument he had had with his eldest son, Evan, over problems Smith was having with his wife, Lisa. On April 14, Evan tweeted that his father had decided to leave the family.

“Evan stopped talking to his dad,” Van Tassell says. “He was pissed at him and didn’t want to talk to him, and that really hurt Gavin’s feelings. That was really painful. Now, was he heart-broken enough to drive off a cliff? No way. He was hurt; he was concerned. All of the things we feel when our kids are mad at us. But I know that Gavin really wanted to be with his family and he always had hope that it would work out.”

It’s been three weeks since Smith disappeared, and Los Angeles County Sherriff’s Department detectives admit they still don’t have “any really great theories or clues in the case.” Smith’s 2000 black Mercedes has not been located, and he hasn’t used his credit cards or cell phone, or withdrawn money from his bank accounts.

“If he is alive, we want to find him,” says Chief of Detectives Bill McSweeney. “He is still missing and we don’t have any hot clues. We don’t have any great direction. We really just don’t know. A guy with an interesting life, and we don’t know if it will ever explain his disappearance. It is a big sad family situation.” Smith’s family has stopped talking to the media and has hired a publicist who acknowledges that “there were certainly family issues,” but he declines to discuss them.

Smith’s friends knew his marriage had been on the rocks for four or five years. Speaking to The Daily Beast on condition of anonymity, Smith’s friends say his wife had become very religious, which caused a rift in their relationship. But while she turned to religion for comfort, his friends acknowledge he turned to other women. “A lot of couples survive that and move through that,” Van Tassell says. “We weren’t sure if it was going to happen. I know he wanted to reconcile and fix things with his wife. But understand this: Gavin was a chick magnet. They were everywhere for him. But it wasn’t like there was an ocean of them either. It was a couple and it was only out of the darkest frustration. Maybe just looking for relief or tenderness or something. It wasn’t like he was a sex machine.” ::snipping2::

Gavin Smith, a former college basketball star from Southern California, and an executive with 20th Century Fox, is still officially missing. The 57 year old and his Mercedes disappeared from a friend’s house on May 1st. ::snipping2::On May 7th, someone in Morro Bay on the Central Coast of California, reported seeing Smith and a tall blonde woman. Since then, there is nothing.

Smith’s eldest son, Evan, also a USC college basketball star, set up a website. But there have been no updates since May 17th, when the family called off a search.

Evan, meantime, is constant user of Twitter. Back on April 14th he Tweeted this father had left the family. That Tweet was soon erased.

Evan’s most recent entry on May 26: “A rightcheous [sic] man may have troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all. -Psalm 34:19″

On May 18th, he wrote: “I am my brothers’ keeper. Forever & Always. They are the reason I’m here. I know that now.”

But it’s pretty clear the Smiths knew something was happening with Gavin in mid April. On the day after the scrubbed Tweet, Evan wrote on April 15: “Thank you Lord for giving me the strength to lead my family out of the darkness and back into the light of your love.” ::snipping2::The Daily Beast reports that the Smiths were in “Financial distress” and their home may have been facing foreclosure ::snipping2::See Police Video at Link

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" Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts." - Daniel Moynihan

Smith's family said he hasn't been to his Calabasas office since he disappeared. They declined to elaborate on why he was staying with the friend instead of at the family home in West Hills, but Evan Smith tweeted last month that his father had left the family.

"Thoughts and prayers out to my amazing Mom and bros plz," he wrote in an April 14 message. "My dad decided to leave the family last nite. Real family sticks together."

The tweet has since been deleted, but Evan Smith told E! News his parents were not separated.

"They were just going through normal stuff couples go through," he said.

The family of missing FOX executive Gavin Smith will reportedly announce Tuesday a $20,000 reward for information that will help bring him home, CBS reports.

Smith was last seen May 1 in Oak Park, Calif. Believing their father may have driven off a cliff, Smith's three sons joined the police in their search of the canyons. They also covered the city with missing person posters of their father and started a website, findgavinsmith.com, to encourage others to help.

However, a couple individuals told NBC that they saw Smith and a tall female companion at Taco Temple, a popular restaurant in Morro Bay, on May 7.

LOS ANGELES -- Deputies today served a search warrant in the Chatsworth area in connection with the May 1 disappearance of 20th Century Fox executive and former UCLA basketball player Gavin Smith. The warrant was served in the 8600 block of Santa Susana Place, Steve Whitmore of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said.

"Information led us to this location in relation to the investigation into this missing-persons case," Whitmore said. "This is an ongoing investigation."